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| Surviving osteosarcoma one loving moment at a time |
Castor's life and mine intertwined just after I finished my Bachelor's degree at UC Santa Barbara in 2004. For a graduation gift my mom helped me buy him from a breeder in Salinas, CA. He was the one of the litter who came over to me, crawled onto my lap, and licked my chin.
And I was his.
He was eight weeks when I picked him up and headed home. He is 6.5 years old now, and we've lived in Santa Barbara, CA, Madison, WI, New York, NY, and San Francisco together. His birthday is March 25th; mine is March 24th (25 years earlier).
On Friday, August 13th (seriously), I found out that he had osteosarcoma in his rear left leg. Now, two weeks and three days later, he's joined the tripawd club. We'll begin chemo soon.
He's doing fantastically. I am grateful for every moment we share. Nothing new there.
I decided to start writing and documenting our experiences together as a way to reflect, heal, and be of service. Reading about other peoples' and pups' experiences with cancer and enjoying life on three legs really helped me make informed decisions about my boy. I want everyone to have the information they need to support whatever path they take for their loved ones.
As for a blurb about me, I am passionate about creating and critical thinking. Currently, I balance my immense consumption of news and Whedon verses with creating knits, clothing, and handmade cards. I want to use my brain (specifically, that great offering to humankind - rationality) for good, while celebrating our connections to all nonhuman life in this world. I have a BS (ha!) and MA in mathematics. I teach yoga. I love to write. And I am sometimes snarky. Usually fun. Almost always honest.
Oh, and great danes are my favorite! Most importantly, Castor (aka cassy, boofus, boofy, and most recently, cakes).
